Taylor Hicks Is Laughing All The Way to the Bank

Now that 'American Idol' is once again down to the top two, we'll be seeing a lot of those 'Idol' lists. Most successful 'Idols,' most album sales, fan favorites. There's only so many times we can read about Kelly Clarkson and Carrie Underwood, no?

Well 'Idol' success comes in lots of shapes and sizes. You have the Carrie and Kelly set. They've each sold over 10 million albums and reached superstar status.

There's the Chris Daughtry business model, which involves consistently churning out good albums that sell well to a certain group of fans. It's more modest than Kelly and Carrie's model, but it has still made Daughtry a household name and a millionaire many times over. Then there's the Taylor Hicks business model.

Hicks is often unfairly derided for the path he has taken after 'Idol.' Last year, the New York Times kicked off a story about 'Idol' success using Hicks as a cautionary tale. "It is doubtful that any of the remaining 24 contestants on 'American Idol' hope that they will be playing the Teen Angel in a touring production of 'Grease' in Milwaukee three years from now. But that's what Taylor Hicks, the 2006 'American Idol' winner, is doing. And it shows that winning the most popular talent competition in the country is no guarantee of superstardom," the Times wrote.

And it's true that winning 'Idol' is no guarantee of superstardom, but I think any of the 'Idol' constestants would be pleased as punch to be pulling in, according to insiders, the $3.5 million that Hicks has brought in during the past 18 months for his tour, album and merchandise sales and appearance fees.

Hicks' business model is different from those of other 'Idol' contenders. He has been on the road since he won 'Idol' in 2006. His things are still packed away in boxes in his parent's basement.

Hitting the road means building a fan base, and from those 18 months of touring, Hicks has made personal contact with nearly 1.1 million fans in 48 cities across the country. That number becomes 2 million if you factor in personal appearances.

After each performance of 'Grease,' Hicks performs a song off his album, 'The Distance,' for the audience. They can buy his music and his merchandise in the lobby. And since that album is under his own label, he sees more than 50% returns on each sale, at least 30% higher than an artist signed with a label. Since the start of the tour, more than 100,000 copies of 'The Distance' and a second album off Hicks' label, 'Early Works,' have moved -- half of those hand delivered from Taylor.

You can't buy better publicity than that. And he still gets paid in the five figure range for appearances. Not too shabby.

"Four years after winning 'Idol,' I still have fans who are interested in my endeavors," Hicks told me the other day as he was preparing to do his final show on the 'Grease' tour. "I don't think that success should be measured by how many records you sell, but by how many lives you can touch."

And the lives Hicks has touched will translate into a lucrative fan base for his next project. Hicks is now mulling television and movie projects that he plans to pursue once he gets off the road, gets a place of his own and settles into a nearly normal life.

"The success that Broadway has given me has allowed me to be able to parlay that into music, some television and film, but I think you have to pick the right role and it has to be the kind of role that will bring along my fans, the 'Idol' fans and the 'Grease' fans," Hicks said.

One of the most valuable assets for any celebrity is the intangible strength of their brand. It is paramount to make sure that this brand is properly managed along the way to maximize value and brand equity. For an artist who wins 'Idol,' the value of their brand is determined by the customer. The brand value creation process begins at the moment that the celebrity makes contact with the consumer.

"I think winning 'Idol' allows you the opportunity to become a household name and after that you have to have a hard work ethic. The branding process begins when you start the show, and a win gives you an opportunity to take that in any direction you want. There are ups and downs and peaks and valleys obviously, but if you work hard it will pay off," Hicks said.

So sometimes an 'Idol' win isn't a golden ticket, but it's a good place to start. The hard work comes in translating the win into marketplace dollars. Hicks' strategy of fan building may look like a slow burn now, but he's laughing all the way to the bank.

Bruce Willis, Connor Cruise and his father Tom Cruise watch the Los Angeles Lakers play the Phoenix Suns during the first half of Game 2 of the NBA basketball Western Conference finals Wednesday, May 19th in Los Angeles.

No surprise to me! I've been to Grease, some shadow shows and seen Taylor work the fans and audiences -- he is a master at his trade and is indeed "laughing his way to the bank". As he has said "its now a race -- it's a marathon" and Taylor is in it to the finish.

I always said that Taylor Hicks was a born performer. I also felt that he would not have a huge recording career per American Idol but would sell out smaller venues and clubs. He is perfectly suited to Broadway and after reading this article He will no doubt have a very long career in show business. His rich bluesy voice is a pleasure to listen to. Lots of luck Taylor.

His voice is just okay. There's nothing extraordinary about it by any means. It's his performance that stinks to high heaven. Maybe that's why he relishes playing a cornball cameo part like Teen Angel!

This guy worked me when he was on Idol. He started growing on me and that gray hair was a turn on. I voted 4 him. That McPhee was all into herself, he was interested in the crowd and making them feel good. But I did love her Over the Rainbow, felt like crying she sang it so good!

Great article! Thanks for confirming what I already suspected: that Taylor Hicks has not only managed to steer his career in the direction of his choosing, but he's also been highly successful at it. It's nice to finally read an article that tells it like it is!

Thanks for telling it like it is. Taylor is a great performer, his voice is one of the best around. Its not always easy being independent and doing it your way.He has been my favorite singer and performer since he was on Idol.

I saw Grease when it came to my local Performing Arts Theater. I actually didn't even know that Taylor had a cameo appearance when I got tickets.

Taylor was on stage for 5 minutes and he sang one song during the show. Yes, he came on stage for another 4 minutes after the show was over when the audience was held captive in order to hear him sing an unrelated original song.

My point is that this article makes it sounds like Taylor was the star of the show. He is not starring like Fantasia, Diana DeGarmo, Constantine, and Clay Aiken all have starred ON Broadway. He makes a cameo appearance in a road show. Period. And I'm not taking anything away from what Taylor is or what he has done. Just don't overstate what he is or what he's done.

I remember the year Taylor won - he was so surprised. Not all idols have to make album after album - he made a place for himself on stage which is very fulfilling. Even Constantine Maroulis - who didn't win has been pretty successful. Go Taylor and the other runner ups!

Its always is astounding how so many of the posters reach for the trash button for everyone but themselves. Success is a totally relative attainment and we need not always quantify or qualify it. In evaluating Taylor Hicks we must realize he is sum of his parts not some pre-packaged ideal of a megastar.